USC Fires Lane Kiffin

Sept. 29, 2013 10:57 p.m. ET

USC Fires Lane Kiffin

In a college-football season without any major upsets, the most stunning development so far came not on a Saturday but early Sunday morning, when Southern California coach Lane Kiffin was fired as soon as the Trojans returned to Los Angeles after their 62-41 loss at No. 22 Arizona State. The loss dropped USC (3-2) to 0-2 in the Pacific-12 Conference, following a 10-7 loss to Washington State on Sept. 7.

ENLARGE

Lane Kiffin
Getty Images

A news release on USC's website said that the increasingly unpopular Kiffin had been "terminated."

Between 2002 and 2008, under coach Pete Carroll, the Trojans went 80-9 and were the glitziest team in college football. Kiffin finished 28-15 in four years at USC, which was surpassed as the premier program in the west by Oregon and Stanford, and even as the top team in its own town by UCLA.

USC named Ed Orgeron interim coach, but the school is expected to pluck an NFL coach or poach an elite college coach for what is still considered one of the sport's best jobs.

—Ben Cohen

As the Rust Belt Goes, So Goes the NFL

ENLARGE

Reggie Bush of the Detroit Lions looks for an opening in the Chicago Bears' defense at Ford Field on Sunday.
Getty Images

Everything we thought we knew about the NFL came crashing down on Sunday in a day of upsets, near-upsets and straight up head-scratchers.

In Cleveland, the Browns (2-2), once left for dead, won their second straight game, defeating the Bengals (2-2), a playoff team a year ago, 17-6. The Chicago Bears (3-1), who entered Sunday unbeaten, were dismantled by Reggie Bush and the Detroit Lions 40-32 in a game that Detroit (3-1) led 30-10 in the second half.

The defending champion Baltimore Ravens lost to the Buffalo Bills 23-20, leaving both teams at 2-2. And the Kansas City Chiefs, among the league's worst franchises the past few years, seemingly put an end to the season of the New York Giants, one of the more successful teams of the last decade. With the Chiefs' 31-7 win, they stand at 4-0 and the Giants are a dismal 0-4.

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